The saying you don't change a winning team in cricket is undervalued.
For once we have a management that looks like it knows what it is doing and we're finally seeing some consistency in the selection and this is translating into performances on the field.
Professionalism is not a word associated with the Pakistan cricket but in this tournament they have been thoroughly professional. This is not only my view but the view of the exporters.
The players have gelled, they know their roles and there is no screaming at players for a midfield or W look of disgust when a bowler balls bad a ball.
Unique for a Pakistani team especially across five games.
So the approach is perfectly fine from a cricketing perspective.
Coming to the individual players, every batsmen has contributed in at least one game except for Fakhar.
However, Fakhar is one of our best fielders and certainly the best boundary rider in the squad.
Also he is now an experienced player whose played in and performed in big matches. So it would have been absurd to drop him before the semis.
Coming to the bowlers, after yesterday's game they would have spent 120 overs in the field over 14 days.
That's absolutely no time at all. So the resting element doesn't come into it. It's also not helpful from a physiological point of view. A rookie comes in for say Shaheen and picks up three or four wickets against a Namibia or Scotland, does that mean he replaces Shaheen?
Hasan Ali is seen as the weak link but he's been superb in 2021 and you can see that he's getting his rhythm back. People seem to forget that, even when he's been hit for runs, he's still managed to pick up wickets. How often has he picked up a wicket in his first over in this tournament? I can remember stkeast twice, once being against India.
He also brings energy to the field and ran out Williamson when Williamson was set. He did this on his follow through. He also has a bucket load of experience behind him.
Looks at the Aussies. Warner couldn't hit a run in the IPL and looked out of form in this tournament, but did the Aussies drop him? What was his last score?
So people might say don't change a winning team, there is a reason for it. It's cricket 101
Not that I completely disagree with you would like to speak about few of the Highlighted points.
1. "Don't change the winning combination" This is not undervalued this is called as "Zero Analysis'
being blind and shut out any room for improvement. This has been the most absurd adage used
to keep many youngsters's from getting any International exposure and keep seniors happy in
Pakistan for decades.
A Team winning doesn't mean that all the components are working fine and their is no guarantee
that they will against different opposition, surface etc. Same tactics doesn't work all the time against
all opposition. I am all for showing full faith in members who are under performing and avoid constant
chopping however Great team always keep their eyes and ears open and flexibility is the name of the
game. For. e.g look at Champion team England, they use Moen Ali as floater
I marvel at the decision of Putting Fakhar at no.3 on these surfaces. Data shows that Fakhar like ball
to come on the bat. He plays pace with ease and scores in foreign surfaces but his Record in UAE is
very mediocre. What is the requirement from no.3 the most important batting position in Cricket
Someone, Who can play pace and spin equally well, has a game which can provide both solidity and
aggression depending on the situation. No.3 must be able to play risk free cricket and still able to
rotate strike and punish loose balls. Now, who comes in your mind ?? Babar, but he will play as
opener. Fakhar can never be comfortable starting his inning against spin and he has failed.
Did, the team thought of shuffling him either as opener or as a finisher at no.5 where he can come
and whack the ball. I am shocked by how rigid has been the approach of Pakistan that they have not
even altered the batting order to figure out how a struggling player will perform at different number.
That's is called as wasted opportunity when you have already qualified and getting a free practice
game against likes of scotland.
Coming to what if someone else succeed , that's great so if you have an injury to looking for other
option based on opposition then you will have a ready option and you can be quite confident about
your decision This is called as contingency.
Champion teams are only obsessed about Winning and are ruthless about success. Some other team
would have dealt with the situation differently. If fakhar is struggling at no.3 and you want to give him
confidence then you can put him to open in an insignificant game. Similarly if you know lower order
batters like Imad and shahdab had very little time in the middle but in a knock out game any situation
can arise then you might shuffle your batting order and try to give them a move.
All these are Zero risk experimentation but reap rich dividend as you are getting into knock out stages
where margins for error are very small and opposition will look to exploit every tiny weakness
